On20th September afternoon, Minister Tadaaki Kawamura and his delegation from the Japanese Embassy in China visited the Centre for Japanese Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Ji Weidong, Director of the Centre, Cai Yuping, Deputy Director, and Professor Lu Shoujun from the School of International and PublicAffairs, alongside Zheng Zhihua, an Associate Research Professor of the Centre, Xu Yue, Director of the Administrative Office of the Centre, Li Yiqiao, an associate, and Cheng Huan, the founder of Yuanqiao Asset, warmly greeted the guests. The reception was held at Beisi Building, located in the Xuhui Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Mr. Tadaaki Kawamura, a former Counselor (Economic Counselor) of the Economic Department of the Embassy of Japan in China, has maintained friendly cooperation with the Center for Japanese Studies during his tenure in China, and he had been invited to visit the Center for Japan Studies on June 14, 2019, to discuss how China and Japan can develop economic cooperation.
Director Ji Weidong congratulated Mr. Tadaaki Kawamura on his promotion to Minister and welcomed him back to China. Minister Kawamura expressed his gratitude and introduced his entourage, including Tomohito Tatsumi, First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in China, and Tsuyoshi Koike, Consul General of the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, who are responsible for economic and financial affairs. Later, Minister Tadaaki Kawamura presented his work experience upon returning from China. Six months after his return to Japan, he was assigned to the Japanese government's Coronavirus Countermeasures Headquarters just before the 2021Tokyo Olympics began. During this time, the government issued several emergency declarations and directives, including ones prohibiting restaurants from operating at night. In 2022, Minister Tadaaki Kawamura conducted an epidemic investigation in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He subsequently announced that the Japanese Cabinet Council passed an amendment to the Cabinet Law, creating the Cabinet Infectious Disease Crisis Management Office. This agency serves to strengthen command and coordination of relevant work in response to infectious diseases.
Director Ji Weidong expressed his gratitude to Minister Tadaaki Kawamura and his entourage, stating that the citizens of China and Japan have jointly battled against the epidemic for three difficult years, and the Chinese people will never forget the "charcoal in the snow" of the Japanese government and non-governmental organizations who donated masks and other anti-epidemic materials to Wuhan, During the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the inclusion of the poetic phrase "Mountains and rivers are exotic, wind and moon are the same day" on the donated material packaging was a clear display of the donors' kindness and international camaraderie. Their actions were comforting to us and illustrated the unfettered generosity and goodwill between nations.
Afterwards, Director Ji Weidong briefed Minister Tadaaki Kawamura and his entourages on the achievements and current situation of the Japanese Research Center in the past five years since its establishment. As a country and area (regional) research center registered by the Ministry of Education and a university-level interdisciplinary platform, the Center for Japanese Studies has published the first and second series of the Japanese Studies Journal "East Asian Studies", and will soon publish the third series, launched a cooperative research project with the Japan Center for Economic Research "East Asian Risk Studies", promoted the Baixian Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program, and is expected to host the 2024 Baixian Summer Camp program. In addition, institutionalized activities such as the "Innovation and Co-creation" China-Japan Enterprise Innovation Cooperation Forum, the Sino-Japanese Relations Seminar, the Sino-Japanese Corporate Legal Affairs Forum, and the Nitto Special Lecture were held, which effectively promoted the international cooperation of the Center for Japanese Studies. Director Ji Weidong said that over the past five years, the center has been committed to Japanese research and promoting Sino-Japanese exchanges and hopes to live up to the expectations of those who support the activities of the center. In addition, Director Ji Weidong also introduced the upcoming second conference of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Economic Development and Security Forum, and expressed his hope that more economic experts will be invited through Minister Tadaaki Kawamura.
Finally, on behalf of the Center for Japanese Studies, Director Ji Weidong congratulated Mr. Tadaaki Kawamura on his promotion as Minister of the Embassy of Japan in China, and presented him with bouquets, books and souvenirs. Minister Tadaaki Kawamura thanked him and returned the souvenir to the Center for Japanese Studies.
